Token-mixing device for games



Jan. 17, 1956 c. s. RAIZEN TOKEN-MIXING DEVICE FOR GAMES Filed March 26, 1954 INVENTOR: CHARLES S. RAIZ EN BYWWW g United States Patent TOKEN-MIXING DEVICE FOR GAMES Charles S. Raizen, New Rochelle, N. 1.

Application March 26, 1954, Serial No. 419,608

7 Claims. (Cl. 273-144) My invention relates to devices for mixing tokens in a game of chance, for example, in a bingo game in order to determine a haphazard sequence of the tokens.

Objects of my invention are to avoid selecting tokens by hand, to eject one token after the other from the mixing device automatically, and thereby to eliminate any possibility of intentional or fraudulent selection of tokens.

Other objects are to achieve this result with a device of simple, inexpensive and reliable structure, and with means, that can be easily and quickly operated, to mix the tokens by rotation of a receptacle charged with them, and to eject the tokens by the rotary receptacle movement out of a housing surrounding the receptacle.

Further objects are to guide the tokens, one after the other, out of the receptacle and between the same and the housing to an outlet of the latter, and to intercept each ejected token by a bowl-shaped projection of the housing so that the token can be conveniently taken up and read.

Still other objects are to cause the individual tokens to emerge at regular intervals, to guide only one and always one token to the outlet during one revolution of the receptacle, thereby to provide regular time intervals for reading one token before the next appears without interrupting the rotary operation, and thereby to facilitate a quick, regular and correct progress of the game.

Still further objects are to restrict the release of tokens to rotation of the receptacle in one direction, to reserve the rotation in the opposite direction for mixing the tokens without release, thereby to make possible initial mixing for any desired length of time, and to start the ejection of tokens conveniently merely by reversing the rotary directron.

Still another object is to facilitate the charge of the receptacle with tokens.

Still other objects and advantages will appear from the following description of an exemplifying embodiment of my invention, from the appended claims and from the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 shows a top view of an illustrative embodiment of my invention, an upper portion of the peripheral wall of the housing being roken off.

Fig. 2 shows a partly sectional front view of the same embodiment, the sectionally represented parts being out along the line 22 in Fig. l, a portion of the front wall of the receptacle being broken off.

Fig. 3 shows a partly sectional side view of the same embodiment, the sectionally represented parts being cut along the line 33 in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, numeral 4 indicates a rotatable receptacle and numeral 5 a stationary housing surrounding the receptacle 4. A horizontal shaft 6 is aifixed to the receptacle and is rotatable in bores of the housing. The rear end of this shaft is affixed to a crank 7 provided with a handle 3.

The receptacle has a substantially cylindrical shape coaxial with the shaf t 6 and extends from the front wall to the rear wall of the housing 5. One of the sides of the receptacle, for example, the rear side may be without wall and closed merely by the adjacent wall of the housing 5. The peripheral wall 9 of the receptacle has an aperture 11 of a size sufificient for the passage of a token 12 or larger.

The housing 5 has a substantially cylindrical shape coaxial with the receptacle 4. The inner radius of the peripheral wall 13 of the housing is larger than the outer radius of the receptacle wall 9. The distance between these peripheral walls or the difference between these radii is larger than the thickness of a token 12, but preferably smaller than twice this thickness whereby tokens can move in the channel or space left between the walls 9 and 13 only one after the other. The front of the housing has an opening 14 for the passage of tokens. This opening is preferably positioned vertically over the shaft 6. The opening 14 is preferably used for outlet only. For the insertion of tokens, an inlet opening is provided in the top of the housing. This inlet opening may be closed by a cover 15 hinged to lobes 16 which form upper projections of the housing.

A pedestal 17 forms a bottom extension of the housing 5. A front projection of this housing forms a bowl 13 which surrounds the space before the lowermost portion of the opening 14.

A recess 19 is formed in the outer surface of the receptacle wall 9 and has a bottom sloping obliquely toward the axis of the receptacle. In the position shown in the drawing, this recess is positioned higher than the shaft 6 and slopes toward a line under the top of the opening 14 whereby, in this position, the recess 19 connects the space between the walls 9 and 1.3 with the opening 14 while in other positions of the rotating receptacle, the opening 14 is closed by the front wall of the receptacle. The line toward which the recess 19 slopes in the shown position or the lower front edge of this recess has a distance from the top of the opening 14 sulficient for the passage of a token 12. Preferably, this distance is smaller than twice the thickness of one token, and the peripheral width of the recess is smaller than twice the width of one token whereby only one token can pass through the recess 19 at a time. The opening 14 may be deeper and broader than the recess 19.

A wall 21 is connected to the outside of the receptacle wall 9 and extends immediately aside of the recess 19 from the front edge of the receptacle 4 rearward. Another wall 22 which may form an angularly positioned continuation of the wall 21 extends behind the recess 19 substantially parallel to the front of the receptacle at a distance from this front or from the front wall of the housing 5. Preferably, this distance is only a little larger than the width of a token 12. Still another wall 23 forms a continuation of the wall 22 and extends in oblique or spiral-like direction to the rear edge of the receptacle. From the end of the wall 23, a further continuation may form a wall 24 extending along the rear edge of the receptacle. This wall 24 may end before the opening 11. The walls 21, 22 and 23 form portions of a combined wall extending substantially completely across the cross-section of the space or channel between the walls 9 and 13.

As many tokens 12 may be mixed as the game requires. These tokens have identical shapes and are preferably relatively thick disks. The tokens are provided in well known manner with distinguishing indicia, for example with numerals, as the game requires.

The described device may be operated as follows:

The cover 15 is opened, and the receptacle is turned by means of the handle 8 so that the opening 11 is directly under the top opening of the housing. Then the tokens are dropped through these openings into the receptacle. Then the cover 15 is preferably closed and may stay closed during the entire game.

If desired, the tokens may be mixed .for some time without ejecting any tokens. This is done by turning the crank 7 in the direction which is clockwise in Fig. 2. Tokens which during this rotation drop through the opening '11 when the latter is in bottom position fall back into the interior of the receptacle as soon as this opening reaches a position higher than the shaft 6. This dropping out and in of tokens contributes to a thorough mixture of the tokens.

Then the rotary direction is reversed. During each revolution in the direction which is counter-clockwise in Fig. 2, a token drops through the opening 11 and stays near the bottom of the housing '5 until the wall 2 contacts this token. During the part of the same revolution which follows this drop, the wall 23 shifts this token to the front and the wall 21 shifts the same token between the walls 9 and 13 upward. in the upper half of the housing, the token comes to rest on the oblique bottom of the recess 19. As soon as this recess reaches the position adjoining the opening 14 as shown in the drawing, the token slides through the latter opening into the bowl 18 from which it'can be easily taken by one hand of the operator while his other hand may continue the rotation of the receptacle. The drawing shows one of the tokens just sliding down into the opening 14.

in the meantime, another token has dropped out of the receptacle. This token is delivered to the outlet opening 14 during the following revolution. The rotation may be continued until all tokens are ejected or until the game is completed.

I desire it understood that my invention is not confined to the particular embodiment shown and described, the same being merely illustrative, and that my invention may be carried out in other ways within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention as it is obvious that the particular embodiment shown and described is only one of the many that may be employed to attain the objects of my invention.

Having described the nature of my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

V i. For a game of chance, a token-mixing device cornprising a substantially cylindrical receptacle having an aperture in its periphery said entire receptacle being permanently rotatable about a horizontally extending axis, a substantially cylindrical stationary housing having a vertical front wall, a vertical rear wall and 'a peripheral wall surrounding said receptacle co-axially and having an inner radius considerably larger than the outer radius of said receptacle whereby a circular channo] is left between the peripheries of said rotatable receptacle and stationary housing, and a wall affixed to said receptacle and extending across said channel, said housing having'a front opening, the outer peripheral surface of said receptacle having a recess sloping toward a line under the top of said opening in a position in which said recess is higher than said axis, said recess being spaced in peripheral direction from said aperture, said wall being positioned immediately aside of said recess.

2. For a game of chance, a token-mixing device comprising a plurality of identically shaped tokens, a substantially cylindrical receptacle having an aperture in its periphery said entire receptacle being permanently rotatable about a horizontally extending axis, a substantially cylindrical stationary housing having a vertical front wall, a vertical rear wall and a peripheral wall surrounding said receptacle co-axially and having an inner radius considerably larger than the outer radius of said receptacle whereby a circular channel. is left between the peripheries of said rotatable receptacle and stationary housing, the difference between said radiibeing larger than the thickness of one of said tokens and smaller than twice said thickness, and a wall afiixed to said receptacle and extending across said channel, said housing having a from opening, the outer peripheral surface of said receptacle having a recess sloping toward a line under the top of said opening in a position in which said recess is higher than said axis, said recess being spaced in peripheral direction from said aperture, said wall being positioned immediately aside of said recess. 7

3. For a game of chance, a token-mixing device comprising a plurality of identically shaped tokens, a substantially cylindrical receptacle having an aperture in its periphery said entire receptacle'being permanently rotatable about a horizontally extending axis, a substantially cylindrical stationary housing having a vertical front wall, a vertical rear wall and a peripheral wall surrounding said receptacle co-axially and having an inner radius considerably larger than the outer radius of said receptacie whereby a circular channel is left between the peripheries of said rotatable receptacle and stationary housing, and a wall aflixed to said receptacle and extending across said channel, said housing having a front opening, the outer peripheral surface ofsaid receptacle having a recess sloping toward a line under the top of said opening in a position in which said recess is higher than said axis, the distance of said line from said top being larger than the thickness of one of said tokens and smaller than twice said thickness, said recess being spaced in peripheral direction from said aperture, said wall being positioned immediately aside of said recess.

4. For a game of chance, a token-mixing device comprising a plurality of identically shaped tokens, a substantially cylindrical receptacle having an aperture in its periphery said entire receptacle being permanently rotatable about a horizontally extending axis, a substantially cylindrical stationar housin havin a vertical, front a a g wall, a vertical rear wall and a peripheral wall surrounding said receptacle co-axially and having an inner radius considerably larger than the outer radius of said receptacle whereby a circular channel is left between the peripheries'of said rotatable receptacle and stationary housing, and a wall aflixed to said receptacle and extending across said channel, said housing having a front opening, the outer peripheral surface of said receptacle having a recess sloping toward a line under the top of said opening in a position in which said recess is higher than said axis, said wall having a portion extending aside of said recess from the front of said receptacle rearward and having another portion extending behind said recess at a distance from the front of said receptacle not much larger than the width of one of said tokens, said recess being spaced in peripheral direction from said aperture.

5. For a game of chance, a token-mixing device comprising a plurality of identically shaped tokens, a substantially cylindrical receptacle having an aperture in its periphery said entire-receptacle being permanently rotatable about a horizontally extending axis, a substantially cylindrical stationary housing having a vertical front wall, a vertical rear wall and a peripheral wall surrounding said receptacle co-axially and having an inner radius "considerably larger than the outer radius of said receptacle whereby a circular channel is left between the peripheries of said rotatable receptacle and stationary housing, and a wall affixed to said receptacle and extending across said channel, said housing having a front opening, the outer peripheral surface of said receptacle having a recess sloping toward a line under the top of said opening in'a position in which said recess is higher than said axis, said wall having a portion extending aside of said recess from the front of said receptacle rearward, having a portion extending behind said recess at a distance from the front of 'said receptacle not much larger than the width of one of said tokens, and having a portion extending from said latter portion obliquely ,to the .rear of said receptacle, said recess being spaced in peripheral direction from said aperture.

6. For a game of chance, a tokenmixing device comprising a substantially cylindrical receptacle having an aperture in its periphery said entire receptacle being permanently rotatable about a horizontally extending axis, a substantially cylindrical stationary housing having a vertical front wall, a vertical rear wall and a peripheral wall surrounding said receptacle co-axially and having an inner radius considerably larger than the outer radius of said receptacle whereby a circular channel is left between the peripheries of said rotatable receptacle and stationary housing, and a wall afiixed to said receptacle and extending across said channel, said housing having a top inlet opening and a front outlet opening, the outer peripheral surface of said receptacle having a recess sloping toward a line under the top of said outlet opening in a position in which said recess is higher than said axis, said recess being spaced in peripheral direction from said aperture, said wall being positioned immediately aside of said recess.

7. For a game of chance, a token-mixing device comprising a substantially cylindrical receptacle having an aperture in its periphery said entire receptacle being permanently rotatable about a horizontally extending axis, a substantially cylindrical stationary housing having a vertical front wall, a vertical rear Wall and a peripheral wall surrounding, said receptacle co-axially and having an inner radius considerably larger than the outer radius of said receptacle whereby a circular channel is left between the peripheries of said rotatable receptacle and stationary housing, and a wall afiixed to said receptacle and extending across said channel, said housing having a front opening and having a front projection forming a bowl surrounding the space before the lowermost portion of said opening, the outer peripheral surface of said receptacle having a recess sloping toward a line under the top of said opening in a position in which said recess is higher than said axis, said recess being spaced in peripheral direction from said aperture, said Wall being positioned immediately aside of said recess.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 683,028 Estell Sept. 24, 1901 2,349,623 Hickey May 23, 1944 2,490,144 Masten Dec. 6, 1949 

